SpaceX launches 53 Starlink satellites, lands Falcon 9 on droneship

News
By
last updated

It was SpaceX's 33rd launch of 2022.

SpaceX launched a batch of Starlink satellites on Sunday (July 24) in what was the fifth launch for the program in July alone, and the company's 33rd launch of 2022.

SpaceX launched 53 Starlink internet satellites loaded aboard the Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off at 9:38 a.m. EDT (1338 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.

At roughly eight minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff, the Falcon 9's first stage made a successful landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed nearby in the Atlantic Ocean.

Related: SpaceX breaks launch record as it sends 46 Starlink satellites into space Friday

This Starlink launch follows a successful effort from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California Friday (July 22). 

That blastoff brought 46 Starlink satellites to orbit, and the rocket's first stage softly touched down on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean 8.5 minutes after launch. It was the second attempt to launch Starlink Group 3-2 to orbit following an abort induced by the Falcon 9 rocket at T-46 seconds on Thursday (July 21).

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket shortly after landing on a droneship at sea on Sunday (July 24). (Image credit: SpaceX via YouTube)

SpaceX's last Starlink launch from the east coast took place about a week ago on Sunday (July 17), from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station just down the road from KSC.

Related stories:

— SpaceX Starlink internet: Costs, collision risks and how it works

— SpaceX's Starlink satellites will help improve space weather forecasts amid sun's unpredictable activity

— Elon Musk says SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service is active in Ukraine with more terminals on the way

Starlink, the satellite Internet service from SpaceX, includes roughly 2,900 Starlink satellites launched to date. Starlink Group 4-25 adds on to previous launches this month from both the west and east coasts of the United States.

The company is working to amp up service quickly. It has regulatory approval to put at least 12,000 Starlink in orbit and is asking for an international regulator to loft another 30,000 satellites after that.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:57 p.m. EDT on July 24 with news of the successful liftoff and rocket landing.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Elizabeth Howell
Elizabeth Howell
Former Staff Writer, Spaceflight (July 2022-November 2024)

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., was a staff writer in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.